Short and Sweet

September 24

(Psalm 117:1-2 NIV) “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. {2} For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.”

(2 Peter 3:9 NIV) “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Psalm 117 is the shortest Psalm in the Bible. It’s short and sweet. It begins and ends with, “Praise the Lord.” That’s not a bad beginning and ending. In between the praises it calls on all nations to extol the Lord. God wants all people of the Earth to praise and worship Him. Why would people want to praise the Lord? We praise the Lord because His love for us is great. His love is so great that he gave the life of His Son to save us and set us free. He sent His Son to die for our sin so that we could spend eternity with Him. We praise the Lord because His faithfulness never ends. It endures through our stubbornness and rebellion. He is patient with us. He does not want anyone to perish. God’s mercy is available to all who choose to accept Jesus as Savior and follow Him as Lord. Will you be among those praising God for eternity? Long and sweet is even better than short and sweet. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day